Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

That’s a mysterious question. Do you mean GHB? Is it an in-joke among bagpipers?

If you are asking about whistle keys that are compatible with the bagpipes (at their standard pitch of Bb[-ish]), I would say either Bb or Eb. With the Bb, you would have to ‘fold’ the bottom Ab; the Eb gives you the full range of the chanter. F and C could also work, but would be more awkward because of half-holes.

Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

Having read your question more carefully: I don’t know whether Bb counts as a ‘low whistle key’, since a Bb whistle is only a 3rd lower than the standard D - and a proper low Bb (an octave below) is a rare thing to find, since, I imagine, not many people have big enough hands to play one. So a low Eb is probably what you are looking for.

Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

One issue to be aware of is that the standard modern GHB (Great Highland Bagpipe) pitch is very sharp, almost exactly between B flat and B natural (that is, a quartertone between Bb and B natural).

Most pipe bands and solo pipers being around A=453 with the top bands being higher around A=455 to A=457.

Special chanters are made to play at Concert Bb (that is, Concert Pitch, A=440).

Unless the piper you’re going to play with has a special Concert Bb chanter, you’re going to need a very high-pitched whistle.

The other matter is gamut or tessitura. I wouldn’t want to play a Bb whistle along with the pipes because for me the sweet spot in whistles is around the G to G range (as called on a D whistle for convenience).

Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

Don’t you mean hole *2* (counting from the bottom)? I’ve just given it a try on a D Generation. It’s terribly confusing - I keep having to restrain myself from half-holing the F-natural. All too much for a string player’s brain ;-) - but it seems like a good solution if you can adapt to it.

Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

Re: That low whistle key you can touch with GBH?

Personally I would always use and Eb for pipe tunes. It’s in the perfect range and has a brighter timbre than the G shaped scale on the F. Ross and Ali, as well as most highland pipers in Scotland would almost always use an Eb for pipe tunes. The c# triplet is pretty simple to tongue.